A processor, in particular a signal processing processor, is conventionally made up of a processor core which is specifically dedicated to processing, several memories (i.e., data memories and program memories), and input/output peripherals. Such a processor is capable of processing a predetermined number of millions of instructions per second (Mips).
When the number of Mips needs to be increased for a given application, one approach is to replace the existing processor core with a more efficient core. However, this can lead to greater costs both in terms of design and software compilation. Another approach is to use multiple processors to perform processing in parallel. However, this results in a significant increase in circuit size, as the surface area of the integrated circuit is essentially doubled.